Tag Archives for Master Builders’ Association
2016 MBA Awards
We would like to announce that our renovation project at Allegheny Country Club is a finalist for the MBA Best in Craftsmanship Award! The basement level in the main clubhouse was demolished and transformed into a new fitness area, Pro Shop, golf bag storage/repair area, and wine cellar/tasting room. A new staircase that matches the existing stairs was installed from the first floor receptionist area to the the basement level. Extensive mechanical, electrical, and plumbing upgrades, replacements, and relocations were also included. The project was designed to modernize the club while maintaining the original 1902 design, and extra attention focused on the finishes matching the existing club as closely as possible. In doing so, the transformation of the space is truly remarkable and flows with the original designs beautifully.
The awards will be presented at the MBA Evening of Excellence on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at Heinz Field. This is one of the most anticipated nights in the industry, a great way to celebrate the hard work we all do throughout the year.
Attic Discovery
Landau’s CEO and former MBA president Tom Landau recently made an interesting discovery while cleaning out his attic. Tom came across the MBA’s original Association of General Contractors (AGC) charter certificate from 1922. The Landaus have been members of the MBA for many years, and several individuals have served as president. During the January 16th MBA Regular Membership Business Meeting, Tom returned the certificate to the MBA, giving a special presentation about the discovery and revealing another great piece of history as well. In addition to the charter, Tom found a photograph from the very first AGC national convention. The picture shows attendees and spouses on the White House lawn, with President Calvin Coolidge standing front and center!
According to MBA meeting minutes, Jacob Landau, Tom’s great-grandfather and former member of the MBA Board of Directors, attended the first AGC national convention and reported back that it was a great event. At this convention, he attended a seminar devoted to the need to repeal the multiple prime delivery system law, which was in effect in every state across the country. The mention of this seminar being held almost a hundred years ago is quite ironic given that the MBA participated in a seminar on this exact topic in 2015.
And the Winner Is…
We have some exciting news to share!
Landau Building Company is the winner of two crystals from the 2014 MBA Building Excellence Awards! This is the first time Landau has taken home two awards in one year, and we couldn’t be more proud of our team. The Jefferson Oncology and Women’s Health Centers won for Best Project over $10 million, and the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers won for Best Project under $10 million. Project Manager Skylar Van Soest and Superintendent Keith Kalmbach, who worked on both projects, accepted the awards on Landau’s behalf, along with architect David Wells from Radelet McCarthy Polletta and representatives from the owners. Our other superintendents on the job were Emory Lukacs, Dave Prata, Jonathan Muzina, and Larry Massung.
The Evening of Excellence is one of the biggest construction industry events of the year, and it did not disappoint. More than 1,000 professionals attended the event at Heinz Field to honor or be honored by the MBA. The Trib Total Media wrote a great article about the event, featuring the “big winners” of the night. You can read the article here: http://bit.ly/1wEIcyc.
Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners of the 2014 MBA Awards. It is always very competitive. Everyone deserves to be recognized for their hard work and the quality of projects produced. For more photos, check out our Facebook album: http://on.fb.me/18WxffO
MBA Youth Contractors ICRA Challenge
Doug Brenneman, Jamie Maloney, Andrew Marsic, Chris Priest, Chet Beres
On Tuesday, October 28, 2014, the Master Builders’ Association Young Contractors (MBA YC) held their second annual hands-on education program, the Healthcare Construction Best Practices Competition, at the Carpenter’s Training Center. Our very own Jennifer Landau is chairperson of the YC and the first female to hold an elected MBA committee position. The hands-on educational program is one of five yearly programs hosted by the MBA YC. The event was such a great success last year and healthcare construction is such a huge part of our local industry,it was decided to make this an annual program.
Healthcare Construction Best Practices focuses on Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA), which is a system of practiced controls to minimize risk for patients and employees to be exposed to potentially dangerous infections. Due to the fact that hospital patients are especially susceptible because of compromised immune systems, our industry has a responsibility to minimize the migration of any construction dust and debris that could harm anyone in the hospital.
The program included a brief presentation followed by a hands-on activity, where participants had to actually install ICRA measures. Participants were divided into teams of five by company. Landau’s team consisted of Andrew Marsic, Chet Beres, Chris Priest, Doug Brenneman, and Jamie Maloney. For the competition, each group set up a plastic barricade with a zippered entrance, topped off a wall and sealed all penetrations within that wall, and hooked up a negative air machine. Performances were scored by quality of work, proper installation, and how well the negative air held in the space. Though Landau did not win the challenge, we developed a greater appreciation for the time and effort our field personnel exert every day when installing ICRA in hospital environments. Check out more pictures from the event here: http://bit.ly/1ug6YRo
